Book.



No. 697,979. Patented Apr. 22, I902.-

R. P. CANE.

, BOOK.

(Applicatim; filed June, 1, 1 0

(No Model.)

witnesses nu: "cams versus 00.. mma-mgaoqwuumomu. v. c.

linrrnn STATES PATE T OFFICE.

RICHARD P. CAN 1, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.

BOOK.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent No. 697,979, dated April 22, 1902.

Application filed June 1, 1901. Serial No. 62,763. (No model.)

T0 to whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, Brennan P. CANE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Louisville, in the county of J etferson and State of Kentucky,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Books; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to books, and especially to such books as ledger-s, day-books, court-record books, (950., used in keeping the accounts and records of an establishment, the object of the invention being to provide a book of this particular class or of any other class with distinctive marks or words so arranged that they may be seen in their proper upright position no matter what edge of the book is presented to view or whether the books happen to lie, stand, lean, or be otherwise placed on a desk or table, in abookcase, on a truck, on shelves, or in any position whatever which exposes to view one side, one edge, or one end.

With this object in View the invention consistsin placingletters, numbers,words, or any other suitable characters on the sides, edges, top, bottom, or front, more particularly on the edges, of books, especially such as lodgers, journals, day-books, cash-books, or other books of record, the designating markings being arranged oppositely and placed side by side, some of the markings-being at right angles to others, whereby one of the marks will always be exposed in an upright position, so that the book may be identified at a glance without the necessity of moving or handling it.

The invention also consists in certain details of construction and arrangement, as will be hereinafter described and specifically claimed.

By the term edges used in this specification are meant the ends and sides of the leaves, which in conjunction make a facing or ground on which marks may be impressed, stenciled, lettered, printed, painted,branded, gilded, or applied in any other suitable manner, so that the book may be instantly identified in whatever attitude it may happen to be exposed to View.

In the accompanyingdrawings, which illustrate an embodiment of myinvention, Figure 1 represents a perspective view of the book prepared with markings in accordance with my invention, the book being closed. Fig. 2 represents a perspective view of the book lying open. Fig. 3 represents the book in front view. Fig. 4 represents the book in end view. Fig. 5 represents the book in rear View, and Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a book in a closed condition, illustrating the invention as applied to a work of fiction.

Like numerals of reference mark the same parts wherever they occur in the various figures of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents the back, 2 and 3 the sides or cover, of the book; 4, the end edges, and 5 the front edges, of the leaves.

In carrying out my invention I place, by the means hereinbefore mentioned or by any other suitable means, letters, words, or other characteristic marks upon either the back 1, the sides 2 and 3, the end edges 4, or front edges 5on any number or all of these partssuch, forinstance, as the letter B, as shown. In placing the markings upon the back 1 of the books the letter to be usedin this instance the letter B will be placed upon the back near either end, arranged longitudinally or transversely, the letter near one end of the back being reversed in position with relation to the letter near the other end of the back, so that if the book rests upon the side 3, as in Fig. 1, with the back exposed to view theletter B at one end of the back will appear upright and at the other end reversed, while a reversal of the two letters by laying the book down upon side 2 will present to View the letter B which was formerly reversed in an upright and that which was upright in a reversed position. The markings may be used, as before stated, in the same relative positions on the sides, end edges, and. front edges, as clearly illustrated in the various figures of the drawings, the letter B being used in all the figures.

I attach most particular importance to the placing of the markings or letters upon the end edges 4: and front edges 5, so that no matter whether the book lies upon one side or the other or stands upon one of its edges one of the letters B on these edges will be seen in an upright position and the book instantly identified. In Fig. 1 it will be observed that the letter B has been placed upon the edges of the leaves in position to expose, as before stated, one of the letters, no matter how that edge is exposed to view. The same arrangement is also used on the front edges, in that instance the letter B being placed near one end in duplicate, one above the other, reading from left to right, near the middle readinghup or down and near the right hand reading from right to left orin reversed position. Theelfectofthisduplicatearrangement is seen clearly in Fig. 2,'in which the book lies wide open upon a table or other support. The letters then appear upon the edges of each half of the book, singly or reversed with relation to each other, so that no matter from what point of view the book is seen one of the letters is always in an upright position.

I desire to be understood that I make no claim to placing titles, marks, letters, &c., upon either the backs, edges, and sides of books, such marks being already in common use; but the essence of my invention is in the provision of markings for books so arranged that no matter in what position the book may be exposed to view one letter, word, or char-- acter marking will be exposed to view in an upright position.

Although this invention is particularly serviceable and specially intended for application to counting-room and court-records books, I do not desire to confine it to such books, it being applicable to all books, such as books on fiction, literature, science, and art, which having edges and letterings, figurings, or markings of contrasting colors can be more quickly identified when lying exposed upon a table, in a bookcase, or in any other situation.

By the use of this invention books might be conveniently stored by standing them on their front edges, whereby the titles or markings on the end edges would be exposed to view, such an arrangement, while sacrificing appearance, contributing greatly to economy of space.

It will of course be understood that any letter, word, or character suitable for identifying any particular book may be used in carrying out this invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. As an improved article of manufacture, a book provided on the surfaces exposed to view with distinguishing markings, oppositely-arranged markings being placed side by side, some of the markings being at right angles to others, whereby one of the marks will always be exposed in an upright position, substantially as described.

2. As an improved article of manufacture, a book provided with distinguishing mark ings upon one of its edges, the markings being arranged in groups comprising marks inverted with respect to each other, some of the groups being at right angles to others so that one of said marks is always in position to be read, whereby the identity of the book can be readily ascertained, substantially as described.

3. As a new article of manufacture, a book provided with distinguishing marks on one of its edges, the said marks being arranged near the opposite covers of the book, and being reversedwith respect to each other, and some of said marks being at right angles to others whereby one of said marks will always be exposed in an upright position, substantially as described.

t. A book provided on one of its edges with markings in duplicate sets, one set near one cover of the book and the other set near the opposite cover, each set consisting of two markings reversed in position with relation to each other and the two sets being duplicates in position and character, whereby when the book is laid down spread open one of the marks of the set will be exposed to View in an upright position, substantially as described.

5. A book provided with two sets of markings on its edges, each marking of each set being reversed in position with relation to the other mark of the set, and some of the groups being arranged to read longitudinally of the edge while other groups are arranged to read transversely of the edge, whereby some one of the marks will always be in an upright position, substantially as described.

6. A book provided with distinguishing marks arranged on the edges of its leaves, the marks being arranged in pairs, one of each pair being near one cover of the book while the other one of each pair is near the other cover of the book, and some of the pairs being at right angles to others so that some one of the markings will always be in an upright position so as to be easily read, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

, RICHARD P. CANE.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM P. VENHOFF, W. T. AVERY. 

